


In the Wings

by jfmradio



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Highschool AU, Lucifer is actually named Luke in here, M/M, destiel au, is that a thing?, theatrenerd!Cas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-06 17:00:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1865520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jfmradio/pseuds/jfmradio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is a theatre kid who gets his clumsy ass saved by Dean, who is coincidentally part of the crew for the musical Castiel is the lead in. Dean is a hopeful charmer and Castiel is tragically head over heels for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. [OVERTURE ENSUES]

**Author's Note:**

> So this is only my second work, and I would appreciate it if y'all left any critique/suggestions/tips/thoughts in the comments! I'm planning this to be about ten or so chapters long, but I am very bad at carrying out my plans in these types of things, so who knows.  
> No beta, all mistakes are mine. Sorry!
> 
> * Lucifer's name in this is Luke, it's a bit more, uh, normal.  
> ** Castiel and Dean are sophomores, Luke and Gabe are juniors, and Anna is a senior.

Ah, Room 206. Castiel’s favorite room in the entire school, apart from Lawrence High’s actual theater. This room held many memories for Castiel. He had practically grown up in it. Hell, he’d even had his first kiss against one of the desks. See, Castiel’s dad, Chuck Shurley, was the head of the theatre department and 206 was the classroom in which their meetings took place. When he was younger, Castiel would get dropped off at the high school so his dad could watch him as he simultaneously worked with the drama students. Sometimes Castiel colored, or read, but most of the time he watched the older kids rehearse and perform. As the years went by and he started getting real homework, he would sit in the hallway outside and work on the difficult subjects, and then, if there was time, sit in the back of the classroom and just relax, or talk with the older kids whenever they had a break. His favorite time of the year, though, was when his dad directed the winter musical. Then he got to explore the school’s beautiful, albeit small, theater  and witness real rehearsals.

**  
**

The only other Shurley child who performed was Gabriel, and he was a year older than Castiel. Though their sister, Anna, participated in the musical, as well. Anna was a senior. She moved around jobs every year. From lighting to stage managing, she was experienced in them all. Luke Shurley apparently had too big of a badass reputation to distinguish himself as a thespian. He tried not to be officially involved with the musical, but he always hung around during rehearsals and helped his dad with random jobs. And, much to Luke’s dismay, his name would end up on the program every year under ‘Miscellaneous Crew’. Luke and Gabriel were the same age; Juniors while Castiel was a Sophomore. 

**  
**

Every day, at least one older Shurley child greeted Castiel outside the maintenance closet next to Castiel’s math class to walk to Room 206 together. This tradition started when Castiel was a freshman. Despite having grown up around loud and brash theatre kids, crowded hallways full of rough-housing teenagers was a bit unfamiliar to him. He liked the company of his older and protective siblings on the walk to the beloved classroom. He felt empowered whenever he had them by his side.

**  
**

On one seemingly random Monday, Castiel encountered something new on his walk to the maintenance closet. Or rather, somebody new. See, Castiel had a habit of not paying attention to where he was going. His eyes would constantly drift to the ground, or the walls, or anywhere else other than directly in front of him. He had a scar on his left arm from when he rode his bicycle into a tree because he had gotten distracted by a nearby swarm of bees. 

**  
**

While leisurely strolling through the mostly empty hallway, he found himself analyzing a poster that advertised a cartoon version of the school’s mascot, The Devils. He was so distracted that a nearby pile of books went unnoticed. Inevitably, Castiel tripped and began to fall forwards at an impressive speed. Suddenly, he felt a firm grip on both his right bicep and left hip and a strong shove upwards. Having closed his eyes after recognizing the sensation normally associated with falling, all Castiel could see was darkness, yet he was standing steady and balanced. He still felt hands on his body.

**  
**

“Hey, man, you can open your eyes now,” Castiel heard a male voice say. The stranger’s tone was kind and somehow calming, so Castiel willingly obliged. He opened his eyes to find another pair staring at him, up close and personal. There had to have been only a few inches of space between them, so Castiel could very easily admire the stranger’s features. And boy, were they beautiful features. The boy’s face was tan and sprinkled with freckles, especially over his nose and cheeks. His lips looked soft and wet and unnaturally pink, and his hair was a light shade of brown. His eyes stood out the most. They were veiled under perfectly distributed eyelashes, and shone with amusement and a pinch of worry. Even such perfect eyelashes as those could not hide their bright green pigment. They were a shade similar to one described as “candy-apple green”, with subtle flecks of light brown sparingly resting near his pupils. 

**  
**

He spoke again, shaking Castiel out of his dazed state of admiration. “Are you okay? Sorry about the books, I kinda left them there in the middle of the hallway. I was packing up and set them down. Uh, I’m not the most organized guy, I guess.” He chuckled lightly, and gently pushed the pile of books closer to the wall with his foot. Castiel realized that he should say something, instead of continuing to stare slack-jawed at the guy. He smiled his naturally wide smile and felt himself blush at his own incapability to act like a normal human being.

**  
**

“I’m Dean, by the way,” the stranger-- er,  Dean said. 

“I’m Castiel.” He noticed Dean’s brow furrow a little at Castiel’s unique name. He also noticed that Dean’s hand were still on his arm and hip, and their faces had only moved closer together. He smiled again. Gaining some confidence, Castiel said, “Thank you, by the way. For, um, helping me.” 

**  
**

Dean grinned. Castiel wasn’t sure whether or not Dean realized how close they were, or that he was holding Castiel in a rather intimate position. However, Castiel also didn’t care. It isn’t everyday you’re saved by an extremely handsome stranger; he wanted to make the best of it. Too bad he was having trouble forming coherent thoughts, much less speaking sophisticated sentences.

“Nice to meet you, Castiel. You never answered my question, by the way. Are you okay?” Dean looked straight into Castiel’s eyes, but it felt more like he was examining his soul. 

**  
**

“I’m great and perfectly unharmed, thanks to you,” Castiel replied. After what felt like forever, but definitely not in a bad way, Dean seemed to realize that he was practically hugging Castiel. He took his hands off of Castiel; however, he did not step away. Their faces were still abnormally close, not that either boy necessarily minded. Both of them were smiling widely and quite frankly, brazenly  staring . 

**  
**

“Glad I could help, especially since it was my fault in the first place. I’m sorry, this might sound weird, but I have a question about your hair,” Dean said, a playful smile appearing on his face. 

**  
**

Castiel remained smiling and raised one of his eyebrows, a supposedly attractive trick Gabriel taught him. “Yes?”

**  
**

Dean reached up his hands and ran them wildly through Castiel’s hair, causing it to stick up straight even more than before. “Did you know that it is sticking up in every direction imaginable?!” 

Castiel laughed a deep and true laugh and Dean followed suit with a quieter, but no less powerful, laugh of his own. 

**  
**

“I was aware of that, yes,” Castiel answered. He looked up at Dean and lightly shoved his arm. “Did you know that you have a small issue regarding personal space?” Castiel rebuttled. 

**  
**

Dean raised his eyebrows at Castiel’s remark and responded, “As a matter of fact, I did. But only with cute strangers who practically fall on their asses in the middle of empty hallways.”

**  
**

Castiel grinned even wider (was that possible?) and once again felt his cheeks turn red.  Cute. He thinks I’m cute,  ran through his mind. All of a sudden, Castiel’s eyes were torn away from Dean’s stunning green ones and were brought to the sight of Gabriel bounding down the hall, frantically attempting to make eye contact with his brother. There was a surprised look on his face when he noticed Castiel wasn’t alone. Gabriel looked impressed and a little curious. Dean followed Castiel’s gaze. 

**  
**

“Uh, I think you’re being summoned, Cas,” Dean said.

**  
**

“That’s just my older brother. He can wait,” Castiel was prepared to sell his soul to spend more time with Dean if he had to. Especially after he had just been granted a nickname, which did not go unnoticed between either boys. “Er, I meant to say Castiel,” Dean added quickly.

**  
**

Cas shook his head, “‘Cas’ is good. I like it. My name is such a mouthful, anyways.” Gabriel continued to move about in a noticeable way, beckoning Castiel over to him. Dean looked over his shoulder at Gabriel and said, “I should probably get going. I have to pick up my brother. I’ll see you around?” His eyes were still bright and kind.

**  
**

Castiel smiled. “Yes, Dean. Thank you again for, you know, saving me,” he said as he turned and began walking towards Gabriel. 

**  
**

“Anytime, Cas. Anytime,” Dean replied with a wink that made Cas's knees weak. Cas’s eyes followed Dean’s retreating figure, then glanced down at the pile of books still on the floor. “Dean?” he called. 

Dean quickly paused and pivoted so he was facing Cas again. “Yeah?”

**  
**

“Your books.”

**  
**

Dean’s face lit up with confusion for a moment, but then realization as he understood. He jogged back to the wall, quickly picked up his books and shoved them into his locker, except for two. He carried those in one arm, nodded and smiled at Cas, and breathed, “Right. Thanks.” 

**  
**

Cas, of course, nodded and smiled back, his cheeks now comfortably clear of any obvious blushing. He once again watched Dean walk away ( God, he sure as a  nice ass ), then turned and continued moving towards Gabriel, who had, in Castiel’s opinion, an extremely peculiar look on his face. “Why are you looking at me like that, Gabriel? And what were all those frantic hand motions for?”

**  
**

Gabriel mockingly shook his head in a cartoon-like manner, as if he were trying to comprehend something way out of his league. “Did I just witness you flirting with Dean Winchester? While he was holding you in his freaking arms?”

**  
**

Castiel really needed to learn how to control his blushing. He just knew his face was bright red, and no doubt Gabriel noticed it as well. He scoffed in a pathetic attempt to seem calm and replied, “No Gabriel, not exactly. I think. I tripped, and Dean helped me so I didn’t fall. It was really quite polite and rather heroic of him, actually.” Cas couldn’t stop himself from gushing like an excited child. “He just swooped in with his strong and surprisingly gentle arms and his voice was so calm and oh, his eyes were like-”

**  
**

“Woah, calm down there, Cassie. I’ve never seen you like this. You’re acting like a  normal  teenager. Well, a normal teenager who was just cuddled by Dean “Perfect Ass” Winchester. In fact, are you feeling alright? I haven’t seen your cheeks this red since that time Anna’s boyfriend walked in on you in the bathroom,” Gabriel teased. He raised a hand to Castiel’s forehead, pretending to check his temperature. “Ooh, you’re burning up! Don’t worry, though. An intense session of eye-fucking with a hottie like Dean is enough to make anyone heat up like they’ve got scarlet fever.”

**  
**

“Please, Gabriel, we were not  eye-fucking . Do you have to be so crude? I told you. I tripped and he-”

**  
**

Gabriel interrupted again, “Yeah yeah, you told me all about his muscular biceps and lullaby voice and eyes that looked like they were constructed by the gods themselves. I heard you. Now come on, let’s get to Drama. Oh, I can’t wait for you to tell Anna and Luke!” He wrapped his arm around Castiel’s shoulder and steered him to Room 206, ignoring any verbal protests from the younger sibling. 

****  
  
  
  
  


“Oh, Anna Bananaaaaaa! Luuuuuuuke! Have I got news for you!” Gabriel shouted as soon as he and Castiel walked into the beloved classroom. As usual, the Shurley children were the only ones there. The rest of the Drama students didn’t file in until 4, and it was only 3:25 when Gabe and Cas entered. Anna, Luke, and their father were all standing around a table in the back, cutting out what seemed to be leaves, most likely for a prop tree or bush. The winter musical was coming up, and Lawrence High didn’t give the Drama department a desirable budget whatsoever. All sets and props were to be handmade, since most of the money had to go towards costumes. 

**  
**

“Gabriel, please, not another one of your gossip stories. I would like to be able to look my students in the eye without knowing who they hooked up with at the latest party,” Chuck said. He loved the extra time he got to spend with his kids, but he wasn’t lying when he said that Gabriel’s stories made him…uncomfortable, to say the least. “I’m supposed to be endorsing abstinence and waiting until marriage and all that crap. You don’t exactly make that easy by telling me everytime Casey Jones sleeps with yet another cheerleader.”

**  
**

“Aw, come on, Pops. Everyone loves my stories. You’re especially gonna to love this one, considering it is about our own sweet, little baby Cassie, “ Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows and bounced on his heels with excitement. 

**  
**

The two Shurley children and Chuck immediately paused their leaf-making and stared at Gabriel with raised eyebrows. They were clearly shocked. 

**  
**

Cas spoke up in a dry voice, “Wow, guys, try not to look so surprised. I do talk to people outside of you four, you know.”

**  
**

“Charlie doesn’t count, she’s family. Tell us what happened!” Anna said. She was almost as bad of a gossip as Gabriel. 

**  
**

“Yeah, get on with it, Gabe,” Luke demanded. 

“You do know I am capable of telling my own stories,” Castiel said again. 

**  
**

They all turned their heads to him yet again, waiting for him to continue. 

**  
**

He sighed.  “But Gabriel can do it this time.”

**  
**

“Good choice, little bro. Anywho, guys, this is what happened. I was walking down the halls, as usual, since it was my day to meet Cas at the closet-” “Wait, you guys have a schedule for that?” “-Cassie, shh. I’m tryin to tell the story here, geez. So I get to the closet, but he’s not there. I wait five minutes or so, and he’s still hasn’t shown up. Like the wonderful older brother I am, I decide to investigate this Case of the Missing Cassie.” 

“God, Gabe, it was five minutes.”  “Cassie, stop interrupting me! So then I turn the corner and my eyes are brought to a sight none other than our darling little virgin sibling being held in the arms of Dean. Freaking. Winchester. Yes, THE Dean Winchester. He had one hand on Cassie’s shoulder, and the other gripped around his waist. And I mean a tight grip, none of that petting bullshit. He was practically cradling him. Obviously, this scene takes me by surprise. Our Castiel, being intimately embraced by every student’s wet dream. And their faces, oh man! There was some serious eye-fucking going on. I mean their heads had to be less than two inches apart. Their noses were practically bumping. And they stayed like that, almost hugging, eyes entranced for nearly  six minutes . I counted,” Gabe finished his story with a satisfied and excited huff, earning an eye roll from Castiel, gasps and awestruck expressions from Anna and Luke, and an indescribable look from Chuck.

**  
**

Gabe’s retelling was fairly accurate, though Castiel, who, by the way, had regained the blush in his cheeks, would never admit that out loud. He felt even more ecstatic than before, which he didn’t think was scientifically possible. His family’s silence was making him extremely uncomfortable, though. It seemed that none of them knew how to express their no doubt surprised feelings. Castiel didn’t really date. At all. After a few moments, Castiel gave in to their inevitable excitement and spoke to break the silence, mumbling, “He ran his hands through my hair and called me cute”

**  
**

Anna was the first to speak, “Ohmyeverlastinggod. This is amazing. This is truly amazing.” She gaped at Castiel. “Cassie, this is a milestone. Your life will never be the same. He called you cute? Ohmygod. This is utterly fantastic!” 

**  
**

Surprisingly, Chuck shared his thoughts next. He cleared his throat and looked at Gabriel, then Castiel, then down at his own hands, then back at Gabriel. The father leaned in a little and said, “You saw this with your own eyes, Gabe?”

**  
**

“Yes, Father, even I couldn’t make up something this rich,” Gabriel answered.

**  
**

Chuck nodded and thought for a moment before turning to his youngest son. “Castiel, this is good, right?”

**  
**

Castiel laughed lightly at how nervous his father looked. Chuck had never been good at situations like this. Cas nodded a little, then a bit more enthusiastically. “Yeah, Dad. In fact, it’s kind of awesome.”

**  
**

“Good, good. I’m, er, happy for you, then. Congratulations.” 

**  
**

Cas sent his father a smile of loving gratitude. He really did appreciate Chuck’s poor attempts  “Luke? Do you have anything to say?” he asked his older brother.

**  
**

Luke had his ever-present mischievous smirk on his face. “Yeah, I do actually. As someone who has had, let’s say, an enviable amount of  romantic encounters,” Chuck made a face at that. “I would like to impart some sage words of wisdom unto you.” Luke cleared his throat, stood up straight and said, “Wrap it before you tap it. Winchester’s had his fair share of lustful action. You never know what he could have crawling around down there.” Gabriel and Anna giggled maniacally and Cas gave Luke a mock salute. Chuck covered his face with his hands and groaned. ”Where did you all learn these things?!”

**  
**

Gabriel and Anna stopped talking long enough for Luke to be heard over their commotion. “You know, Cassie, Charlie told me earlier today that Dean was seriously thinking about crewing the musical.” He wiggled his eyebrows at his little brother and smirked.

**  
**

Castiel was far past even trying to contain his glee. He wasn’t much of the type to holler or go out of his way to make a big deal out of this matter, but he knew that his family could read him better than he could himself, so he just accepted their excitement and joined them. Anyways, it wasn’t like they would actually believe if he told them that Luke’s information meant nothing to him. 

**  
**

“Really? How do all of you know who Dean is, anyway? I had never met him before today.” Once again, Castiel was granted weird looks from his family members.

**  
**

Gabe sighed, “Cassie, literally everyone knows who he is. He’s the school’s hottest student. Not to mention his reputation as a sixteen-year-old sex god. Oh, sorry, Dad. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

**  
**

Their father hadn’t been listening until the sex-god part came up. He had a serious look on his face and said in a quiet and stern voice,”Castiel, you know it is fine if you do or don’t have sex, right?”

**  
**

Oh god,  Castiel thought. “Yeah, Dad, I know. We’ve talked about this.  I understand .” He was desperate not to have this conversation again, especially with his siblings snickering beside him. 

**  
**

Chuck continued. “Good. I just want you to make sure that you know that if you’re feeling, uh, pressured then it is totally fine to stop. It is really of utmost impor-”

**  
**

“Dad, I  know .” Gabe, Luke, and Anna were giggling hysterically now, and it was unlikely that they would stop anytime soon should Chuck finish what he was saying. By this point Castiel was done with indulging his family; he felt a strong need to change the subject from Dean to, well, anything other than Dean.

**  
**

“So, Dad, have you figured out what show we are doing this year yet? I am assuming that is what these leaves are for.” 

**  
**

Chuck got excited really quickly after being asked that question. “You’ve assumed half right. I figure we’ll need trees eventually, so I might as well have you guys make them now. Unfortunately they won’t be used this year. To answer your second question, yes; I’ve finally made up my mind about this season’s show. Are you all ready?”

**  
**

The teenagers nodded eagerly.

**  
**

“Okay.  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat .” He waited for his children’s reactions.

**  
**

Cas mentally went over what he knew about the show. The costumes were simple, there were no memorable raunchy parts that would need to be cut out, and the songs were upbeat with easily-memorizable lyrics. Sure, they might need a bit bigger ensemble than usual, but they would manage. 

**  
**

He nodded towards his father and said,”That is a great choice, Dad. This is going to be a spectacular production.”

**  
**

“Plus whoever gets to be Joseph,  Castiel , would get to run around with no shirt on and show off their,  Castiel’s , chest for two hours. That’ll bring in a shitton of audience members,” Gabriel said, spitting out an obviously fake cough every time he said his brother’s name. 

**  
**

Castiel sighed. It would be nice to play the lead this year. It would look great on his record if he was Joseph, especially since he was only a sophomore. He shook the idea out of his head, though, not wanting to get his hopes up. He said, “Gabriel, there are other options for the lead. That junior with the Southern accent is fairly talented, I believe. What’s his name?”

**  
**

Gabriel scoffed. “Benny? No way! Sure, he’s got a killer voice, but his stage presence isn’t worth crap. He’ll be one of the brothers, no doubt. Don’t try to deny it, Cassie. We all know you’re getting “Joseph”.”

**  
**

It was at this time Chuck spoke up. “Guys, we don’t know who’s getting ‘Joseph’, alright? Yeah, Castiel, it could definitely be you. You know you’re incredibly talented.Just don’t get your hopes up too high, okay? I can’t be accused of nepotism or anything, you know?”

**  
**

Again, Castiel put his father’s mind at ease. “Yes, Dad, I know. This is my first experience.”

**  
**

“Yes, but it is your first experience as an eligible competitor. You weren’t last year, because you were only fourteen,” Anna joined in.

**  
**

Yes, thank you, Anna. I was completely aware of that.” 

  


“Just saying.”

  


Castiel reveled in the following moment of comfortable silence and sat down in a nearby desk, slipping in the seat backwards and situating his legs over the back of the chair. He leaned his head against the desk, closed his eyes, and slipped into a state of deep thought. 

**  
**

“Joseph” really is a cool show. Dad will have to make us do some recruiting, though. I’m sure I can find a hopeful freshman willing to play Benjamin or one of the younger brothers. This will definitely be a memorable production. Especially if Dean really does crew it. And if I do play ‘Joseph’, maybe Dean will notice...no. Don’t think like that. He probably acts like that with everyone.  A voice in the back of Castiel’s mind came up.  For god’s sake, he ruffled your hair and called you cute! He definitely does NOT act like that with everyone. Nobody is that naturally affectionate.  Castiel considered that for a moment.  Maybe…

**  
**

His train of thought was interrupted by Luke smacking him in the face rather roughly. “Get up, asshat. Class is starting, and you’re sitting in my desk.”

**  
**

Castiel opened his eyes and stood up, ignoring the slight sting from the small slap he was dealt. He moved to his usual seat next to Gabriel, and waited for his favorite class to begin.

****  
  
  


  



	2. ANY DREAM WILL DO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Auditions and awkward encounters with the Shurley family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a few days late. It's also a little short. I promise the next chapters will be longer. I'm trying my best, and it looks like I will update every week and a half. Chapter 3 will be up by next Sunday, promise. There might be some theatre words in here, so here's a key:
> 
> house: where the audience sits  
> wings: backstage, left and right  
> upstage: horizontal half of the stage farther away from the audience  
> downstage: horizontal half of the stage closest to the audience  
> lighting booth: a sort of attic-type room where the lighting controls and spotlights are held  
> soundboard: table, in the back corner of the house, that crewmembers control the music and microphones
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and again, I'll take any critique!

Castiel’s audition went beautifully. He sang an excerpt from “Giants in the Sky” from ‘Into the Woods’. He was “clear and loud and articulate and basically amazing”, as Anna had gushed to him after dinner. Even with his modest filter Castiel had to admit that he did very well. As a sort of casting director, Chuck was accompanied in the house by a few faculty members, including Castiel’s AP Literature teacher, Mr. SInger, and his Trig teacher, Ms. Naomi. Castiel was not bothered by any of their presences. However, he had been startled when he noticed Dean, in the audience, sitting behind Mr. SInger. There was also a younger boy in the chair beside Dean. Knowing he couldn’t think about anything else but his performance, Castiel had pushed all of his new thoughts and questions aside and composed himself for the audition, and apparently, it worked, because everyone in the seats seemed content when he was told to bring the next auditioner in. As he was walking offstage, he saw Dean lean forward and say something to Mr. Singer, then sit back down after the man’s hand flew up and swatted Dean back in his seat with a grin. 

Castiel greeted the next person in line and kindly told them to go in. Since Chuck had to be there until all auditions were over, Castiel decided to meet Anna in her usual spot in the theater’s lighting booth. He found her and Luke in the small, yet spacious loft doing homework. The three were later joined by Gabriel, who had given an extremely entertaining and great audition, having sung “One Jump Ahead” from ‘Aladdin’. Gabriel was hoping to either be Pharaoh or Reuben, Joseph’s brother with the biggest singing part. The siblings hung out in the booth until they heard their father call auditions to a close, at which point they grabbed their things and met Chuck in the house. 

Just as the Shurley children met their father, Castiel noticed that Dean was standing not five feet away from him, talking animatedly with the younger boy. Dean had spoken to Cas an impressive amount of times since the day they met. Every once in a while they would see each other in the halls or at lunch and right away fall into easy conversation. They’d even partnered up in their Chemistry class for a project, though Cas found it difficult to concentrate on work when Dean was right in front of him, biting a pen between his perfect teeth and full lips and furrowing his brow in concentration. He was more than a bit adorable, Castiel thought often. That boy has no ugly side.He is just, like, pure cute.

“Hello, Dean.” Dean looked away from the boy with a start at hearing his friend’s voice. Of course, he was as gorgeous as ever, his downright beautiful face bringing warmth to Cas’s senses. God, Castiel definitely needed to stop thinking about Dean’s face. It was becoming an issue. 

“Cas! Jesus, man, you were amazing up there.” His eyes were as bright and green as ever as they gazed into Castiel’s with inexplicable fondness.

Castiel made a modest gesture with his hand. “Thank you. I noticed you were sitting out here. Why is that, exactly?”

“Oh, my Uncle Bobby takes me and Sammy home a lot, so we were waiting for him and decided to come watch.” Dean nodded to Mr. Singer at the words “Uncle Bobby”. 

Castiel nodded and looked at the younger boy. “You’re Sammy?” 

The boy stuck out his hand for Cas to shake. “Sam, actually.” He threw a cold look at Dean. “You’re Cas. Dean talks about you, you know. A lot, actually.”

Castiel took Sam’s hand and answered, “Yes. Well, Castiel, but Cas is more efficient. Though my family over there call me ‘Cassie’. It is quite possibly the worst nickname in existence.”

Sam smiled. Dean was grinning that magnificent grin of his when he spoke again.

“Those are your siblings?” He pointed to Gabriel, Luke, and Anna. They were all sitting, Anna’s legs across Gab’s lap while Luke rested backwards on the row of seats in front of them. They were all talking very loudly, not that that was a surprise. 

Cas nodded. “Yes, and an additional two brothers. Michael and Uriel. They’re both in their twenties, though, so we don’t see them very often.”

“So, Chuck is your dad?”

Cas nodded again. “And Mr.Singer is your uncle.” He couldn’t help but find it an odd coincidence that they both were relatives of teachers. 

Dean had his eyes focused intently on Cas’s when he asked, “How long have you been doing this?”

Castiel furrowed his brow and involuntarily tilted his head in confusion. “Doing what?”

“You know, this whole performing and theatre thing.” Dean waved his hands, motioning to the stage. “I mean, you don’t just hop up there and sing like that without at least a little experience.”

“Well, since my dad is the head of the department, I’ve been doing it since I was little. I would always hang out and watch classes and rehearsals, joining in whenever possible.” Castiel smiled fondly. Unfortunately, that was when Gabriel and Luke decided to put their (mind you, unwanted) two cents in. Gabriel came up from behind and snaked his arm around Cas’s neck and Luke was right beside him. 

“Oh, Cassie was born a star. You should have seen him when he was little; always running around the house in his underwear, dancing and singing at the top of his lungs. Mind you, he still does that, it’s just not as cute.” Castiel could have strangled his brother. Oh, perfect, just what Dean Winchester needs: more proof that I am a completely incompetent dork, ran through his mind. He felt his face go warm, knowing that he was blushing like crazy. He made a mental note to strangle Gabriel when they got home. 

Much to Castiel’s dismay, Sam and Dean seemed unbothered by the embarrassing claim from the nuisance that is Gabe Shurley. In fact, Sam laughed very hard and Dean’s eyes only seemed to be glued to Castiel more intensely than before. Cas wondered if Dean realized how prominent his gaze was. Probably not. Dean did, however, shoot a wary glance at Luke and Gabe that did not go unnoticed by Cas. He supposed his own discomfort was picked up by Dean, who, it seemed, was already in protective mode over him. That thought made a warm, tingly feeling bubble up in Castiel’s gut. The elder Winchester, apparently deciding to be polite, reached his hand out to shake those of Castiel’s brothers, unnecessarily introducing himself. At least, Castiel deemed it unnecessary, considering Gabe and Luke knew more about Dean than he did. 

The twinkle in Luke’s eye worried Cas when he spoke to Dean, after shaking his hand. “Cassie here told us all about his almost-fall and your heroic rescue, Dean. In fact, he wouldn’t shut up about it.” Castiel wasn’t one for violence, but hell be damned if he didn’t want to give both of his brothers a good smack right then and there. “Also, a little bird told me you might be crewing the show. Is that true?”

Dean looked to Cas, who managed to give him his best ‘I-know-they’re-annoying-and-are-kind-of-interrogating-you-but-just-bear-with-me-I’m-so-sorry’ look (if that was even a message capable of being summarized into a look), then to Luke to answer his question.

“Uh, yeah. Yes, I want to, uh, crew the musical. But, I don’t have any experience and I wouldn’t be able to pick Sam up three times a week.”

Gabe made a ‘pffffft’ noise and waved his hand, as if to say ‘No worries’. “That is definitely not a problem, Winchester Numero Uno. Anna can show you the ropes; she’s like a crew extraordinaire. As for Sam here, he could just hang out in rehearsals with all of us.”

Castiel’s irritation towards Gabe was replaced with gratitude for a brief moment.

Dean’s eyebrows were raised at Gabe’s suggestion. “Wait, really? Your dad lets students do stuff like that?”

Gabe shrugged. “Not really, but a friend of Cassie’s is a friend of the whole family, so I’m sure we could arrange something.” He looked over at Chuck, who was now just talking with Anna. “Yo, Father. Could Dean’s little brother chill here during rehearsals like we used to do when you were teaching? Dean wants to crew, but he can’t unless you let him do this. Please?” Gabriel gave his father the sweetest look he could muster, then raised his eyebrows and motioned with his eyes between Cas and Dean, trying very hard to convey the level of emergency the Castiel’s love life had. After a few moments, Chuck caught on, his confused expression being taken over by a sly grin. 

“Oh. I see. Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds great. We’ll take all the help we can get. Dean, you’re officially in this now. You’re not gonna bail or anything?” Chuck gathered all the energy he had after three hours of auditions and put it into his rarely-used serious tone. He looked Dean in the eye.

“Yes, Mr. Shurley, I realize that. No bailing. Promise.” Dean nodded firmly and Chuck, apparently satisfied, turned away.

Castiel could barely contain his happiness. He let a miniscule amount out through a smile aimed directly at Dean. One again, he found their gazes locking, green on blue. 

Anna piped up from her sprawled-out position in her seat. “Dean, you’re gonna love it. I’ll show you around the jobs. I’ll even let you pick which one you want first. ” She gave him a friendly smile.

“That’s a real honor. We only break the rules for people we like. Or want to date. But I can guarantee Anna and Luke and moi are not trying to get in your pants,” Gabriel said. He looked away and added in a mumble, “Cassie I’m not so sure about.” The tips of Castiel’s ears grew incredibly red. He gave Gabriel the angriest glare he’d ever given anyone in his life, which was saying something. He stole a glance to see if Dean heard it and internally groaned when he saw Dean’s freckles overpowered by a blush. Damnit. Goddamnit, Gabriel. 

As always, the tension went unnoticed by Chuck. He said, “We’re happy to have you helping with the show, Dean. Maybe Sam could pitch in a little, too.” He looked at the younger Winchester with kindness 

Sam grinned excitedly. “Definitely.”

Dean ruffled his brother’s hair, only to have his hand softly pushed away by Sam. Just then Mr. Singer joined their group, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. He clapped his hand on Chuck’s shoulder. 

“Well, Chuck, I’ll see you back here for callbacks in two days, right?” Chuck nodded his answer. “Alright then. Sam, Dean. Ya ready?”

The boys picked up their bags and waved their goodbyes at the Shurley family. Dean looked at Cas one last time and said, “See you tomorrow, Cas,” with a wink and confident beam before turning and following his brother and uncle out the theater.   
Castiel uttered an obviously flustered, “Goodbye, Dean,” and waved. He pivoted to face his family, ignoring all of their shit-eating grins, and picked up his backpack.


	3. JOSEPH'S CHARM AND WINNING SMILE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas are becoming very, er, fond of each other. Basically they're just constantly trying to not be driven to the grave by embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. So Chapter 4 is gonna be posted next Monday. (I'm hoping to update every Monday, but I'll tell y'all if that's not gonna happen)  
> Uh, Gabe and Luke kind of act drunk when they're energetic. It seems fitting.  
> Also, If you're familiar with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, you might notice that all of the chapters are gonna be named after lyrics from the show.  
> Also again, I'm having trouble getting italics in the text, so if you want to help out a helplessly clueless-when-it-comes-to-computers girl, go for it.  
> Thank you kindly for reading and, again, I'LL GRACIOUSLY ACCEPT YOUR THOUGHTS.

Callbacks were lead by Anna and Luke, and they were only guided slightly by Chuck whenever Luke threw in a sudden backflip in the middle of a combination just to screw with the kids trying out. Castiel did great, having been familiar with most of the dances and taking all of the singing exercises in stride. Dean was again sitting in the house with Sam, this time seemingly doing homework along with his brother. Despite the books spread out on his lap, Dean was caught staring at Castiel a considerable amount of times, both by Castiel himself and the rest of the Shurley family. The noticeable glances went unmentioned. Well, unmentioned between Dean and Cas. Cas’s siblings had a field day on the car ride home.

The cast and crew list went up the next day, a Friday. Cas was indeed to play the part of Joseph, and Gabriel got Pharaoh. The crew list held seven names, including Dean’s. The crewmembers would go over each of their roles during the first rehearsal. 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

“Dean, I don’t think that your hypothetical musings, while entertaining, are relevant right now.”

“Come on, just answer the question.”

“I can’t answer the question if I don’t understand the question.”’

'Honestly, how important was it really to actually work in class? Chemistry is not the only hope for a bright future.' These were some of the many excuses Dean voiced when Cas had tried to get him to focus back on their project for the umpteenth time. Every class period their chemistry teacher gave them to advance on their project, Dean distracted Cas with some lame joke or impossibly dumb argument. And Cas loved every minute of it. 

“Fine, then. I’ll ask you again, you incompetent thespian. Who do you think is the ringleader of the mafia the teachers are in?”

They had been bantering about nonsense for the last twenty-three minutes.

“But there is no teacher mafia. They’re just teachers.”

Dean shook his head. “But say there was. Say they were all gangsters, leaving to go shoot up in a dark basement, or assassinate a sleazy politician, when we thought they were just driving to their cookie-cutter suburban homes.”

“You seem to have thought about this quite a lot. I’m not sure if I can encourage this.”

They had been shushed four times; once by the teacher, three times by fellow students.

“Dude. Come on. You’re a performer; aren’t you supposed to be creative and, like, always thinking outside the box?” Dean giggled. He literally giggled. Like a child. 

Cas put down his pen he was halfheartedly pretending to take notes with and turned fully towards Dean, whose books hadn’t been touched at all. Dean was sitting with his legs splayed out in the aisle, his head resting on the arm he had propped up on the desk. 

“I don’t believe I really fit that stereotype, Dean. That’s more like Gabriel,” Cas said, stealing a drink of water from Dean’s bottle on the floor.

“Hm, you’re right. You’re a way more dark and brooding type,” Dean answered, a sinful smile playing at his lips.

“Is that so?” 

“Yes, it is. You’re alwa-”

“Yo, shitheads. Would you ever so kindly shut your mouths and actually be productive so I can work over here?” Meg, much to Cas’s dismay, interrupted Dean with her irksome snark. She was seated in the desk right in front of Dean’s, and had no doubt been listening to their conversation. Meg Masters was one of the few people that knew how to get under Dean’s skin. Everyone else he could brush off with a quick reply and a flash of his middle finger, but not Meg. 

Castiel didn’t necessarily dislike her, but he did not fail to notice Dean’s discomfort whenever she was around, and he didn’t like that. 

She looked at Cas and contorted her face into what Cas figured was a flirtatious expression. “So, Clarence, we’re gonna have sex.”

Dean choked, and Castiel was completely taken aback. “Ex - excuse me?”

“You know, Joseph.” It took Cas a moment to understand what she meant. Meg was playing Potiphar’s wife in the musical, a woman who desperately tries to get Joseph to sleep with her.

Dean clearly did not understand. He had a bewildered and slightly disgusted look on his face. He looked at his friend. “Cas, what’s she talking about?”

Meg raised her eyebrow. “‘Cas’? Really, Clarence?”

“For the last time, that is not my name.” Castiel pointed a finger at Meg, then turned back to Dean. “Meg is in the musical, and her character kind of spends a whole song trying to get me to sleep with her. We basically just have to roll around under a sheet for twenty seconds, and make it look like we’re, you know, doing it. That’s it,” He finished off the explanation with a firm nod and a motion of his hands.

“Oh,” was all Dean said. He had a look on his face that Cas didn’t recognize. Sadness? No, why would Dean suddenly be sad? Discomfort, maybe…

“That’s not it. We have some pretty bendy choreography, if my memory serves me right.” Now Meg had her attention focused on Dean, even though she was talking to Cas. She seemed to be showing off in a way, but Cas didn’t know why Meg would be doing that or even what it was she was showing off.

“It’s a musical. All choreography is bendy in some way or another.” Cas was growing angry. “Would you please go back to your project? You kind of interrupted my conversation with Dean.” He sent her a cold knock-it-off glare for good measure. He may not have know what was going on, but he sure as hell knew he didn’t like it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small smirk grow into a proud grin on Dean’s face. 

Meg returned to her work with a frown as Dean resumed his relaxed position.

“So, Cas, where was I? Oh, right! Brooding…”

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

For the first rehearsal, both cast and crew were called into Room 206. Dean ended up meeting Cas right before he reached the maintenance closet, so the Winchester finished the walk with all four of the Shurley’s. As usual, they had around half an hour to spare before the rest of the students would show up, so Dean’s experience with Cas and all of his family was interesting. 

Anna was in a relatively normal mood, and she engaged in idle conversation with Dean. Cas was grateful for this, since he was a little occupied trying to tame Gabe and Luke’s energy levels. 

“God, Gabe, did you eat a brick of sugar today?” The teens had only been in the classroom for five minutes before Gabriel nearly gave himself a black eye while bouncing around the room.

“Have you picked a crew position yet? The only one that’s off-limits is the soundboard. These two kids named Harry and Ed do it every year and would smite me if i gave the spot to somebody else,” Anna said. She had to raise her voice over her rowdy brothers’ pointless noise.

Dean re-situated himself on his chair, flipping it around so he could straddle the seat and rest his chin on his forearms. He said, “I was thinking you could just pick a spot for me. Like I said before, I really have no experience. What do you think I would like?”

She thought for a moment before her eyes lit up and she said, “Do spotlights with me. It’s a super easy job, so nobody ever wants it. Plus you’ll get to actually watch the show during performances, not just in rehearsal.”

“Sounds great. Thanks,” Dean replied. At that moment, Gabe and Luke bounded over and plopped themselves down extremely close to Dean. Cas tried to intercept their contact with Dean as much as possible, to no avail. 

“Dean, our brother is a great person.”

“So great. Amazing, really.”

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah, guys, I know.”

“You know I wasn’t kidding when I said he dances around the house in his underwear all the time. He sings the weirdest shit, too. Once he got through half a Bee Gees album before our neighbors called to complain.” Gabriel was a spectacular nuisance when he really tried.

Cas attempted again, this time in vain. “Dean, they are lying. They are liars. They lie a lot.” He knew his face was most likely as red as a firetruck, and he knew he wasn’t speaking eloquently at all, and Anna’s maniacal giggling was not helping the situation whatsoever.

Dean spoke up. “Cas, it’s oka-”

“Yeah, Cassie, everything’s fine,” Luke said. He was as bad as Gabriel.

Castiel groaned almost inaudibly, then left to find his father. He had Chuck make Gabe and Luke do work, tearing them away from Dean. The rest of their free time passed pleasantly; Anna reading a magazine, Dean and Cas being left to their own means of blissful conversation, and Gabe and Luke being kept busy by their father’s errands. 

The meeting went well for Castiel, despite Meg throwing seductive looks his way every thirty seconds. They went through their schedules, signed forms with their measurements for costumes on it, and were given their scripts. 

Cas fit in three more wonderful conversations with Dean before driving home in the backseat with Anna and Gabe asleep and sprawled out over his lap. He was pretty tired from the long day of running from embarrassment and discomfort, so he skipped dinner and went to bed thinking of voice exercises and emerald green eyes.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Fact: Dean Winchester was extremely attracted to Castiel Shurley.  
Fact: Not only was he attracted to the guy, but he also supremely enjoyed his company.  
Fact: This was something Dean did not know how to handle. 

Sure, he’d flirted with Cas many times, but sometimes he didn’t want to just flirt. He savored their casual and stupid debates, and he was genuinely interested by what Cas talked about. He liked being around him. He thought Cas liked him as well, in more than just a platonic way (God, Winchester, don’t be such a twelve year old, he thought to himself.), but he was so hard to read sometimes. When he tripped in the hallway, the day they met, he thought he saw some arousal in those big blue eyes--God, they were so blue--, and he definitely blushed at least a little whenever Dean winked at him. That’s a sign, right? Sometimes he even though Cas was flirting back. Or at least he tried to flirt back. Cas wasn’t the smoothest stud around. 'But it doesn’t even matter; God knows he was plenty attractive just being himself', Dean thought. 

Fact: Dean Winchester had no fucking clue how he would get past the state of friendship with the boy that was driving him crazy.


End file.
